Type block carrier for a typewriting machine lever



May 7, 1968 o. MEISNER ETAL 3,331,788

TYPE BLOCK CARRIER FOR A TYPEWRITING MACHINE LEVER Filed Feb. 13, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOPS Gus/=- ME/sA/E/K Kay/#1947 foam/Ml Wfl 8 Mom HTTGRNEYS ay 7, 398 o. MEISNER ETAL 3,381,783

TYPE BLOCK CARRIER FOR A TYPEWRITING MACHINE LEVER Filed Feb. 13, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS F ATTORNEYS United States Patent Olfice 3,381,788 Patented May 7, 1968 4 Claims. Cl. 197-36) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The invention relates to a typewriter lever assembly comprising a type block carrier, a typewriter lever proper and a spring and abutment retaining means for retaining the type block carrier on the lever, the carrier being constituted by two U-shaped portions manufactured separately and subsequently bonded together, the type block being mounted on one of the portions.

The invention relates to a type block carrier for a typewriting machine lever and more particularly to a type block carrier slidably insertable on the head of a typewriter lever for location thereon by a spring retaining means. While reference is made throughout this specification and claims to a typewriting machine lever and a typewriter lever it is to be understood that the invention is not to be considered as restricted to typewriters, but embraces and is applicable to all forms of machines in which an impression of a printed character is produced on a surface by means of a type face carried at one end of a movable lever.

Conventional typewriter levers and type block carriers of the above defined type are not fully satisfactory because whereas the head of the lever is inserted into a guide slot formed in the type block carrier, the type block carrier is an integral members and the production of the guiding surfaces inside the slot presents considerable difficulty.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a typewriter lever with an exchangeable type block carrier which has not the disadvantages mentioned and which can be produced from standard material easily and economically.

According to the present invention there is provided a detachable type block carrier for a typewriter lever, the carrier comprising two U-shaped members, one supporting the type block, the members being oppositely disposed and bonded together so as to form a guide slot by means of which the type block carrier is mountable on the typewriter lever.

The proposed arrangement has the advantage of being easy to manufacture, because guiding surfaces in the guide slot can be produced before the two portions hereinafter referred to as the upper and bottom portions, of the type face carrier are assembled. It has been found to be particularly useful to construct the U-section bottom portion of the type face carrier from a piece of sheet metal bent around a short length of wire and connected thereto by soft soldering. The wire which as is known, can be drawn down very accurately serves as an aid for determining the overall width of the U-section bottom portion. Moreover, at least one end of the wire may be arranged to extend slightly beyond the side of the bottom portion of the type block carrier, thereby providing at least one abutting face for locating the type block carrier on the end of the type lever.

In the combination of a typewriter lever and a demountable type block carrier, a spring retaining element may be formed by a clamping arm mounted for deflection in a plane coinciding with the plane of the typewriter lever. A mechanism of such a kind is not only complicated but it is also liable to suffer a relatively considerable amount of wear. In order also to overcome this disadvantage the spring retaining element is preferably formed by an arm on the end of the typewriter lever, which is elastically deflectable substantially perpendicularly to the plane of the typewriter lever. This form of construction in which the arm may conveniently be provided with a retaining abutment has the advantage that the force that must be applied for detaching and securing the type block carrier from and to respectively the typewriter lever does not operate in the same plane as the centrifugal forces generated during operation of the typewriter lever.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will be described by reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a typewriter lever with a type block carrier attached,

FIG. 2 is a side view of type block carrier used in FIG. 1, and

FIG. 3 is an end-on view of the type block carrier according to FIG. 2.

With reference to FIG. 1, the head 11 of the typewriter lever is divided by a slot 12 into an upper guide member 13 and a bottom supporting arm 14. The type block carrier 15 rests on the guide member 13. The right hand end of the type block carrier bears against an abutment 16, whereas the left hand end is located by an abutment 17 on the nose 18 of the supporting arm. For the purpose of detaching the type block carrier from the head 11 of the lever nose 18 of the supporting arm 14 it must be deflected perpendicularly to plane of the paper in FIG. 1, either into a position behind or in front of the paper. This can be readily done because of the inherent elasticity of the supporting arm 14 and the length of the dividing slot 12. In order to facilitate pushing the nose 18 of the supporting arm back into normal position it may be advisable to give the abutment 17 which comes into contact with the type face carrier a slightly rounded conformation adapted to the circular path of deflection of the end of the arm.

It will be understood from FIGS. 2 and 3 that the type block carrier 15 comprises an upper part 19 and a bottom part 20. The upper part 19 is the type block proper and of a kind normally permanently afiixed to the typewriter lever: However, the bottom part 20 consists of a small piece of sheet metal that has been bent around a length of wire 21. More particularly it will be understood from FIG. 2 that the ends 22 and 23 of this piece of wire extend slightly beyond the edges of the piece of sheet metal which forms the bottom part 20. The wire ends from the abutment faces locate the type block carrier 15 in the head of the typewriter lever. Whereas the wire may be soft soldered into the bottom part of the type face carrier and adhesive will generally be used for connecting the bottom part 20 to the upper part 19 of the type block carrier. However, a soldered joint or even a welded joint might also be used. 24 in FIG. 3 indicates the position of the guide slot.

Within the scope of the invention modifications of the proposed arrangement can naturally be devised. For instance, the upper part of the type block carrier need not necessarily embrace the lower part as shown in the drawings. The inverse arrangement would likewise be possible, although the above described arrangement is to be preferred.

We claim:

1. A typewriter lever assembly comprising in combination a typewriter lever having a head, a type block carrier including upper and lower sections, a type block fixedly mounted on said upper section, said upper section being generally U-shaped and open at its bottom to provide a slot, said bottom section being generally U-shaped and having a slot therein, said bottom section being inserted and bonded in said upper section slot, said typewriter lever head being sleeved through the slot in said top and bottom sections, said bottom section including elongated rod means with said bottom section being relatively thin and bent over and secured to said rod means, said upper section being larger than said bottom section, and means for detachably retaining said type block carrier on said typewriter lever head while received in said slots.

2. A typewriter lever assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein said rod means comprising a length of wire extending the length of said guide slots and slightly beyond at least at one end.

3. A typewriter assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein the typewriter lever comprises a block carrier portion and a defiectable arm portion, both portions being separated and in part defined by a slot cut lengthwise in the head of the lever, whereby the defiectable arm portion is resiliently defieetable perpendicular to the plane of the lever.

4. A typewriter lever assembly as recited in claim 3, wherein the means detachably retaining the type block carrier on the typewriter lever comprises an abutment on the head portion and an abutment on the resilient arm portion, the two said abutments being adapted to engage respective ends of the type block carrier whereby to retain and position the type block carrier with respect to the typewriter lever.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,090,597 3/1914 Busz 19736 1,776,246 9/ 1930 Aldritt 197-36 X 2,862,592 12/1958 Redmond 197-36 ROBERT E. PULFREY, Primary Examiner.

E. S. BURR, Assistant Examiner. 

